purington.'j OPEN-CUT MINING. 77 
River, elsewhere described. A link in a chain can be repaired where 
a wire cable can not. 
The moving of the shovel as the digging progresses must be 
brought down to the most economical and rapid system possible. In 
the Galesburg operations wooden skids of 6-inch timber, 3 by 3 inches 
in dimensions, are hung from the jack frames by chains, and thus 
require no attention when the shovel is moved up. On these skids 
rest 6-inch blocks, 2 by 2 feet, on which the jack shoes bear. 
In the Anvil Creek plant the present arrangement for dumping the 
pars at the sluice is unsatisfactoiy, and will be changed. Self -tripping 
two-way dumping cars will be substituted for the man who trips the 
cars. The sluice presents no new features. It is 500 feet long by 32 
inches wide, by 36 inches high at the dump box, and narrows to 26 
inches wide by 24 inches high, in 10-inch grade, and is furnished with 
angle iron rimes. The cost of digging, tramming, and dumping the 
gravel to sluice is said to be 12 cents per cubic yard. 
The cost of steam-shovel operations in Alaska is not evident from 
the cost sheet (table 1, p. 38), as the figures there given cover the sluic- 
ing, often with purchased water, stripping, amortization, etc. In the 
Anvil Creek operation the actual working cost of digging the gravel, 
tramming and hoisting, and tripping the cars to the sluice box is given 
3elow, as estimated by the superintendent, the figures covering 810 
yawls in twenty-four hours, and including superintendence on the 
ground, labor, crude oil fuel at $3 a barrel, lubricants, etc. 
( 'ost of steam-shovel work at Anvil Creek, Alaska, per cubic yard. 
digging $0. 045 
["ramming to incline 025 
loisting 018 
Jumping 011 
Proportionate superintendence on ground, and incidentals 021 
Cost per cubic yard 120 
Figures showing the cost at the Galesburg plant, above referred to, 
,re available in detail, for handling 17,422 cubic yards of shale per 
nonth of 26 nine-hour days, digging from 50-foot bank with a shovel 
itted with 2-yard dipper, delivering to 20 two-yard cars trammed 2 
gtys, 1,500 and 2,000 feet, respectively, to bottom of 2 inclines, 
misted by cable to hoppers at elevation of 20 feet above the track and 
lumped to hoppers. 
Cost per month of steam-shovel work at Galesburg, III. 
Bngineer, shovel $110. 00 
crane man 85. 00 
fireman, at 22 £ cents per hour 52. 65 
trackmen, 17^ cents per hour (shovel) 128. 85 
locomotive engineer 80. 00 
